Announcing development projects worth around Rs 2,150 crore for Jalandhar and Shahkot on Thursday during his “thanksgiving rally”, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said the Congress candidate’s landslide victory in the recently-concluded Shahkot Assembly bypoll had laid the foundation of an anti-Modi wave across the country.

“The Congress is indebted to the voters of the Shahkot Assembly segment who have ensured a sweeping victory for the party’s candidate, Hardev Singh Laddi, and securing two-third majority for the party in the Punjab Assembly,” the CM said while addressing the thanksgiving rally at the local grain market here.

The Chief Minister also announced June 28, 2018, as a gazetted holiday in the state for Kabir Jayanti.

The Chief Minister complimented the Congress workers and leaders for making concerted efforts to ensure the party’s victory, pointing out that it was for the first time in 52 years that such a huge victory margin had been reported on the seat. “It is now the duty of the state government to work more zealously for all-round development of Punjab, besides fulfilling each and every promise made to the people of Shahkot in the run-up to the by-poll,” the Chief Minister said, announcing a slew of infrastructure and other development projects.

He asked MLAs Rana Gurjit Singh and Laddi to submit a detailed proposal of projects for Shahkot so that the funds, as needed, could be released at the earliest.

While work on four-laning of Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur up to Himachal Pradesh border (National Highway-70) has already started at a total cost of Rs 1,069 crore, another Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated for four-laning of Jalandhar bypass linking NH-70 and NH-71 from Jandhu Singha to Pratappura via Jamsher, said the Chief Minister, adding that the Detailed Project Report for the latter was under preparation by National Highway Authority of India and that the work on it would start this year.

Other infrastructural development projects include construction of ROB on Chougitti-Ladhewali Road (Rs 35 crore) and strengthening of Jalandhar-Jandiala-Nurmahal-Talwan Road (Rs17 crore).

He also allocated Rs 7 crore for establishment of three smart schools and 32 digital classrooms and an equal amount for free medicines and lab tests (55 kinds).

An amount of Rs 25 lakh has been sanctioned for strengthening of Primary Health Centre, Mehatpur, for providing maternal and child health services.

He also announced safe drinking water supply schemes for various villages.

Former minister Rana Gurjit Singh and Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar, Chaudhary Santokh Singh sought special attention for Doaba region, which had “always played a major role in the victory of the Congress”.